As Much As 90 Percent Of Seabirds Have Ingested Plastic, New Study Estimates

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The vast majority of seabirds likely have plastic in their guts, a new study estimates.

The study, published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, looked at 186 species of pelagic seabirds. Pelagic birds, a group that includes albatrosses, puffins, and storm petrels, spend most of their lives on the open ocean, as opposed to birds like seagulls which spend a lot of time on land. The researchers looked at previous studies done on seabirds between 1962 and 2012, which found that 29 percent of birds studied had ingested plastic. Using models, the researchers determined that if those studies had been conducted today, as much as 90 percent of the seabirds looked at would have plastic in their guts — a figure study co-author Denise Hardesty called “astronomical.”

And, according to the study, that figure is set to increase. Right now, concentrations of plastic can be as high as 580,000 pieces per square kilometer (about .386 square miles) of ocean.

“Modeling studies, validated by global sampling efforts, demonstrate that plastics are ubiquitous, with high concentrations in all five subtropical convergence zones and along the coastal margins near human population centers,” the study states.

According to a study from earlier this year, 4 to 12 million metric tons of plastic washed out into the ocean in 2010 alone, a figure that represents up to 4.5 percent of the world’s total plastic production. And as plastic production around the world increases — “between 2015 and 2026, we will make as much plastic as has been made since production began,” Monday’s study states — concentrations in the ocean will also likely go up. Because of that, the researchers predict that, by 2050, 99 percent of all seabirds will have plastic in their guts.

Unsurprisingly, that’s not good news for seabird species. The study notes that there isn’t yet much data on population- and individual-level impacts for seabirds that have ingested plastic, but there is “basis for concern.” A bird that ingests a large piece of plastic can end up having its gut obstructed, which can lead to death. Ingesting plastic also means there’s less room in the bird’s gut for actual food, which means building up energy is harder for the bird. In fledglings, this can lead to low body weight, which can end up leading to death.

Birds, Hardesty told the AP, often eat tiny plastic pieces because they mistake them for fish eggs. But she said she’s found all sorts of things in bird’s guts.

“I have seen everything from cigarette lighters … to bottle caps to model cars. I’ve found toys,” she said.

The study isn’t the first to examine plastic pollution’s impact on seabirds. A 2012 study looked at the stomach contents of 67 northern fulmars which had died recently along the Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia coasts. It found that almost 93 percent of the birds had plastic in their stomachs, and each bird had nearly 37 pieces of plastic in its gut on average. Most of the plastic — 96 percent — was in the form of consumer products like rope, Styrofoam, bottle caps, and wrappers.

The threats birds face from plastic are compounded by the material’s long life — water bottles take 450 years to decompose, while fishing lines and nets can take 600 years, according to International Bird Rescue. And birds aren’t just put in danger by eating plastic — discarded fishing lines and hooks can get wrapped around birds and other sea life, ultimately killing them. Plastic also affects other, tinier creatures in the ocean — zooplankton, which make up a base of the marine food chain, have been found to mistake tiny pieces of plastic for food.

Monday’s study does point to some positive developments — namely, that models can be used to determine how changes in how plastic is managed is affecting seabirds. Still, it notes that for some seriously impacted regions, including the northern line of the Southern Ocean, finding ways to reduce bird suffering may be difficult.

“Many seabird species in this region also suffer from other sources of mortality, including ongoing bycatch in fisheries and predation by invasive species on breeding colonies, and achieving effective management in these remote and often international regions is a significant challenge,” the study states.

Some cities and states are taking small steps to help prevent plastic pollution from ending up in the oceans. The tiny plastic microbeads that can be found in face wash and toothpaste are being banned in states across the country, and Canada also recently announced that it’s considering banning the beads, after a scientific review found that microbeads “may have long-term effects on biological diversity and ecosystems.” Cities have also implemented bans and fees on plastic bags, which, when they end up in the ocean, are often mistaken for food by turtles and other marine life. And on the consumer side, recycling and relying less on plastic can help keep it out of the ocean.

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